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破 (pò) — (adjective) worn out, damaged, broken; (verb) to break, to split, to destroy; (verb) to defeat, to solve (a case), to expose the truth of

Definition

Covers both the verb 'to break/split' and adjective 'broken, worn out' — physical damage only. Unlike 坏, 破 implies a tear or crack; 坏 covers breaking down, spoiling, or going wrong. 碎 is shattering into pieces.

adjective
worn outdamagedbroken
verb
to breakto splitto destroyto defeatto solve (a case)to expose the truth of
Easily confused

Examples

  • 破。
    Wǒ de jiù xié yǐ jīng pò le.
    My old shoes are already worn out.
  • 破。
    Tā bù xiǎo xīn pò le yí gè bēi zi.
    He accidentally broke a cup.
  • 破。
    Jǐng chá zhōng yú pò le zhè ge àn zi.
    The police finally solved this case.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí破pò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

破 has 石 (stone) as its meaning part and 皮 as its sound part.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Good & Bad2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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